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Even though the 5G network is still away, smartphone vendors have started launching 5G-ready devices in India and realme on Saturday said it will democratise the upcoming technology for the masses in India.

Half of realme products to be launched in India will be 5G-ready, according to Madhav Sheth, VP, realme and CEO, realme India & Europe.

"All realme products launched above Rs 20,000 will be 5G products. We will continue to bring the latest 5G processors to products in the sub-Rs 20,000 segment so that users can experience the latest technology at versatile price points," Sheth told IANS.

5G is definitely a trend all over the world and realme aims to be the '5G Populariser' in India, in Europe and other global markets, leading the 5G user experience across different segments.

"To achieve this, we will introduce 5G-enabled smartphones at democratised prices to enable users to experience the latest processor with much enhanced capability in terms of power management, display optimisation, camera support, gaming performance etc, and get consumers future-ready for 5G," Sheth elaborated.

The smartphone market in India is expected to grow over 10 per cent (year-on-year) in 2021 and 5G shipments are expected to grow tenfold to cross 30 million units this year.

Even though the 5G network will not be available until late 2022 or early 2023 in the country, smartphone vendors like realme are bullish on launching 5G-ready devices for the masses, according to market research firm CMR.

realme X7 5G houses India's first 7nm MediaTek Dimensity 800U 5G chipset that features dual 5G SIM with enhanced capability.

"Even if we remove the 5G part, it is one of the best performing and best designed smartphones in a 8.1mm slim and light-weight body in the sub-Rs 20,000 segment," the realme executive added.

At the end of Q3 2020, India's 5G shipments stood at 1.7 million, a number which was projected to cross 4 million by the end of 2020.

The key to higher adoption of 5G smartphones is bringing their prices below the Rs 20,000 (around $275) mark.

"Nearly 89 per cent of all the smartphones shipped in India in January-November 2020 had a price lower than Rs 20,000. The lowest-priced 5G device at the moment costs Rs 20,999 (around $285)," according to Tarun Pathak, associate director at Counterpoint Research.

The availability of cheaper 5G chipsets will make it feasible for OEMs to further bring down the price.

Qualcomm and MediaTek, the biggest chipset vendors, have unveiled affordable 5G chipsets. Qualcomm has announced the 4-series 5G chipsets while MediaTek has launched affordable Dimensity chipsets.

"We have kicked off 2021 with the realme X7 5G series with powerful dual 5G Dimensity processors and extending it across price segments to make everyone future-ready," Sheth said.